4 Philadelphia Eagles who could cement Hall of Fame legacy in 2020
By Ben Swanger
. . . Fletcher Cox. 91. player. 54
The sack guru from “Yazoo City” has been dominant for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ever since the Philadelphia Eagles turned in the draft card that would net Fletcher Cox, the five-time Pro Bowler has been a front four force.
In eight seasons, the 310-pounder has accumulated 48 sacks. They’re not eye-popping statistics considering that’s an average of six sacks per season, but his value is oftentimes found beyond the confines of the stat sheet.
In the last three seasons, Cox has 202 total pressures, which is second among defensive tackles and sixth-most among all pass rushers. According to PFF, Cox is one of just two defensive tackles to win 20 percent or more of all attempted pass rushes in a single season. That other guy is another first-ballot talent in Aaron Donald. If Donald is the Tiger Woods of defensive tackles, Cox might be the Phil Mickelson.
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What Fletch does for a pass rush is innumerable. He consistently wins at the snap and is constantly fighting through double teams and complex blocking schemes. He simply wreaks havoc on offensive lines and quarterbacks. We’ve all seen him bulldoze through 300-pound offensive linemen with nothing more than a straight arm. Not only that, but he’s also an elite run defender.
Take PFF’s Austin Gayle’s word for it. “Cox is a first-ballot Hall of Famer that will undoubtedly retire as one of the NFL’s top interior defensive linemen to ever play the game.”
Sure, Cox had a mediocre 2019 season with seven fewer sacks and 24 fewer quarterback hits compared to his All-Pro 2018 season, but he was returning from offseason foot surgery that certainly hindered him early and could have lingered throughout the year and he faced a ton of double teams with Malik Jackson out of the lineup.
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Coming into 2020, Cox is fully healthy and in order for the Eagles to succeed on defense he must live up to the $100 million deal that he’s enjoying. If he does return to the 2018 form, it will be another step towards a trip to Canton.